Tiphares
Tiphares, known in Japan as , is the great aerial city that is suspended via the orbital ring, Jacob's Ladder, over the Scrapyard. Supplying Tiphares is the sole function of the Scrapyard, which also processes and recycles the waste ejected from Tiphares. Although the nature of the relationship appears to be a parasitic one on Tiphares' part, the two cannot effectively exist without each other. Tiphares' nature remained largely mysterious throughout Battle Angel Alita and was only revealed in more detail in Last Order. Desty Nova and Daisuke Ido, as well as the notorious Jean Vares, are all Tiphareans. Geography The most visible portion of Tiphares from the ground is its white structural section and the orbital elevator. The former includes the Factory tubes, Dust Chamber, and three bulges which contain giant Tesla coils used to power the Abaddon. The city is composed of a residential district, where all citizens live. The Dome Park is located here. The Medical Inspection Bureau Core, which is fully automated and off-limits, occupies the central area of the city. Tiphares is supported from space by the orbital elevator.Tiphares: Its Morphology The Cooling effect of Tiphares Tiphares orbital lift's power is generated using the heat between atmosphere and space. That's why Kuzutetsu's temperature is between 5 and 15ºC cooler than its surrounding areas. A map of Tiphares that was designed for Gunnm: Martian Memory appears in volume 2 of Gunnm Works.Gunnm Works vol. 2, p 2. History Tiphares did not yet exist in ES 191, but was in the planning stages despite the civil war-like chaos that Star City was plunged into that year.Phase 55 It was later completed and existed by the time of the Terraforming Wars nearly 200 years later, when Yoko crash-landed in the area surrounding it and fell into stasis. Both cities were initially connected via a large, tower-like structure which sustained heavy damage during the Terraforming Wars until it was completely severed. This created a permanent separation between Tiphares and the Scrapyard that existed for hundreds of years. Factory and Cylinders Factories represent Zalem's power in Kuzutetsu. They manage the Kombinats for the Celestial City and are their administrative. Consequently, the near totality of the manufactured goods and the raw food materials transformed by these Kombinats are sent to Tiphares through these factories. There are a total of 11 factories (from factory #11 to factory #1111) that share Kuzutetsu's control. No human beings work in the factories. The only operators are humanoid interfaces, special units of programmed cyborgs, called "Cylinders". Government Although Dr. Russell referred to Central Command late in Battle Angel Alita, the city is run and managed by the Medical Inspection Bureau (M.I.B.).Final Fight The M.I.B. completely controls and regulates births, as Tiphareans lack the capability to reproduce, although they can have sex. They are also monitored throughout their lives to ensure that they remain free from any outside influences or thoughts that threaten society. If these are detected, the offender is banished from the city by being cast out via the Dust Chamber onto Mount Tiphares below. If they survive the fall, the exile must then find a way to exist in the Scrapyard. Military The closest that Tiphares had to a military force was the Ground Investigation Bureau (G.I.B.), which was responsible for creating a force of elite agents on the surface, as any Tipharean who had been to the surface could never return. This force, the TUNED, numbered 13 agents at its peak consisting of Alita and the TUNED AR Series 2 combat androids. Despite its small size, the TUNED's combat capabilities and armament at their disposal far outclassed anything that could be created on the surface. Besides the G.I.B. and TUNED, the Factory Army essentially acted as Tiphares' main army during the Barjack War due to Tiphares' control of the Factory and the late arrival of the TUNED. Tiphares' internal security apparatus took the form of the M.I.B.'s killer robots, which carried out the bureau's programming. Offensively, the Abaddon was capable of instantly destroying any ground target, and the city was protected from any aerial attack or bombardment by a force field. The G.I.B. collapsed near the end of the Barjack War, resulting in the TUNED's disbandment. As a result of the Tipharean civil war a year later, the surviving Tiphareans took control of the M.I.B. with Alita's aid and disabled the killer robots. Both events severely crippled Tiphares' military capabilities, rendering it helpless had Aga Mbadi's Tiphares Redevelopment Bill been carried out. Differences in the Live Action film In the live action film, Alita: Battle Angel by 20th Century Fox, Tiphares and the Scrapyard are located at the Earth's Equator, atop the ruins of Panama City. Desty Nova is shown on two occasions observing events in the Scrapyard from a room inside Tiphares, unlike his manga counterpart, which was living in the Scrapyard at the beginning. References Category:Locations Tiphares